Global Search
Global Search in ERPNext is a feature-rich, real-time search function that enables users to find particular documents, records, or even partial strings of text within various modules in an instant. It functions similar to an intelligent, full-text search engine in ERPNext, searching through indexed fields in various Doctypes to generate results in a timely and efficient manner.
Whenever you type a word, phrase, or set of characters, the search engine of ERPNext gives you all the matching records in which that sequence exists in the enabled searchable fields. This comes in handy in big databases where manually going to a record may take a lot of time.
Searching with Awesome Bar for Global Search
Global Search is found conveniently in the top-right corner of all ERPNext screens within the Awesome Bar. Typing a few characters will show live suggestions from various document types—Customers, Contacts, Items, Projects, Issues, etc.—based on that keyword.
Some of the key features of the new ERPNext version are:
- Search-as-you-type with immediate results
- Cross-module searching without needing to switch between apps
- Field-based customization to ensure only applicable fields are shown in search results
- Searching specific Doctypes by prefixing the search term with the Doctype name
You can also narrow down results with the & operator, which assists in finding multiple words that need to show up in the same document or associated fields.
Examples:
apple & iPod Locates the documents in which one of the fields contains the word Apple and another the word iPod (i.e. vendor and item of Purchase Order)
iPhone & iPod Finds documents with both "iPhone" and "iPod" in child table items
iPhone & black Finds items with descriptions having both "iPhone" and "black" in long text fields
foo & bar Retrieves any documents with both labels "foo" and "bar" applied (special long text field _usertags)
Making Fields from a Doctype Global Searchable
ERPNext provides Doctype-level customization for specifying which fields to include in Global Search results. When you customize or create a Doctype, you can:
- Verify the "In Global Search" property for the required fields
- Select applicable field types like Data, Select, Link, or Text for improved indexing
- Opt out of extra fields for enhanced search speed and accuracy
ERPNext indexes these fields automatically so that results are returned by search queries more quickly. Administrators may also clear and rebuild the search index in case new searchable fields are introduced or data has undergone considerable changes.
This feature makes Global Search not just an accelerated retrieval tool but also a personable discovery capability, whereby users discover the correct information with minimal effort.